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8 billion-year-old radio signal reaches Earth

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:01 GMT

(CNN) — Astronomers have detected a mysterious blast of radio waves that have taken 8 billion years to reach Earth. The fast radio burst is one of the most distant and energetic ever observed.Fast radio bursts, or FRBs, are intense, millisecond-long bursts of radio waves with unknown origins. The first FRB was discovered in 2007, and since then, hundreds of these quick, cosmic flashes have been detected coming from distant points across the universe.The burst, named FRB 20220610A, lasted less than a millisecond, but in that fraction of a moment, it released the equivalent of our sun’s energetic emissions over the course of 30 years, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science.Many FRBs release super bright radio waves lasting only a few milliseconds at most before disappearing, which makes fast radio bursts difficult to observe.Radio telescopes have helped astronomers trace these quick cosmic flashes, including the ASKAP array of radio telescopes, locate...

MyShake app sends out earthquake alert test overnight by mistake

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:01 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, California (KPIX) — A number of people in the Bay Area and across California got a rude awakening overnight by a premature earthquake alert test from their MyShake app.The app from the University of California, Berkeley is an earthquake early warning system in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey ShakeAlert system and the California Office of Emergency Services. Users in California, Oregon and Washington with the smartphone app receive alerts when there is a significant earthquake, providing a few seconds of warning when strong shaking is imminent.Overnight, MyShake users received a test alert accompanied by a loud sound and verbal announcement saying the alert was a test. The actual test alert was scheduled for 10:19 a.m. PT Thursday (10/19) for International ShakeOut Day, where people across the globe participate in earthquake drills, with many scheduled for 10:19 a.m. local times. In California, the event is called The Great California ShakeOut.Instead...

CVS will no longer sell medications that contain phenylephrine as the only active ingredient

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:01 GMT

(CNN) — CVS is removing some over-the-counter allergy and cold medicines from their shelves one month after an independent advisory committee to the US Food and Drug Administration declared that phenylephrine, a popular ingredient in these medications, is ineffective when taken orally.“We are removing certain oral cough and cold products that contain phenylephrine as the only active ingredient from CVS Pharmacy stores,” a CVS spokesperson told CNN in a statement on Thursday.The company will continue to sell other “oral cough and cold products” in order to “meet consumer needs,” the statement continued.“We are aware of the FDA Advisory Committee’s position on oral phenylephrine (PE) and will follow direction from the FDA to ensure products we sell comply with all laws and regulations,” the statement from CVS said.CNN has reached out to other retail pharmacies to see if they are planning to take similar action.While the FDA has found that the ingredient is safe to use, many doctors ha...

Ravens still searching for answers on offense: ‘There’s no way around it. We’ve got to be better’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:01 GMT

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said the offense is still “a work in progress.”Quarterback Lamar Jackson’s assessment: “Inconsistent.”Running back Gus Edwards? “It’s kind of like a fire right now and everybody is eager to put it out.”Six games into the season, Baltimore’s offense is still trying to find its footing.The Ravens are 15th in scoring with 22.2 points per game, which ranks behind the Houston Texans and is tied with the Washington Commanders. They’re only marginally better in FTN Fantasy’s Defense-adjusted Value Over Average, ranking 10th. And their 339.2 yards per game is only 11th-most, behind the Indianapolis Colts and barely ahead of the Minnesota Vikings.Most glaring are their passing numbers; the Ravens’ 194.3 yards per game rank lower than the 1-5 New England Patriots and the 0-6 Carolina Panthers.There are other issues that have stood out as well. Last week in London, the Ravens were just 1-for-6 sc...

Callahan: Bills QB Josh Allen has become Bill Belichick-proof

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:01 GMT

Three years ago, a weary Bill Belichick confided in the last group of people you would ever expect him to trust.The media.During a private production meeting before a Patriots-Bills game on Monday Night Football, Belichick dismissed Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen as an MVP candidate to ESPN. The suggestion alone apparently made him animated.“There was no question that Bill really got fired up when talking to him about potentially being swept, Josh Allen being one of the MVP favorites,” added Louis Riddick revealed on the December 2020 broadcast. “He was not having any of it.”Yeah, about that.Not only did Allen rip the Patriots that night in a 38-9 rout, passing for 320 yards, four touchdowns and no picks, he hasn’t stopped. Allen is now universally recognized as one of the game’s greats. In the process, he’s become something more: Belichick-proof.Against Belichick, Allen owns the highest passer rating of any quarterback to make more than five career sta...

Weekend need to know: Creepy Doll Museum, Boo at the Zoo, United Way ClimbUP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:01 GMT

More Halloween-themed events are in the city this weekend, plus an annual charity climb at the CN Tower.The first Creepy Doll Museum is opening their doors this weekend in Toronto, and family friendly Halloween events are back at the zoo and Black Creek Pioneer Village. Meanwhile, United Way’s ClimbUP event returns to the CN Tower. There is a full-weekend subway closure on part of Line 1, alongside ongoing road closures. Scroll below for more details.Here’s what’s going on this weekend:Top eventsCreepy Doll MuseumThe Toronto premiere of the Creepy Doll Museum will be opening its doors on Friday and Saturday at the Red Sandcastle Theatre, located at 922 Queen Street East in Leslieville.The museum is home to almost 200 wayward dolls, and each doll has a unique biography written by a variety of Ontario authors that tell their haunting histories.The collection will be on display on Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Museum curators say proceeds will be used to fund e...

Music Review: An expanded soundtrack marks 50th anniversary of ‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:01 GMT

An expanded soundtrack for the Thanksgiving season filled with childlike charm is reason to do the Snoopy dance.“A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” will be released Friday in advance of the 50th anniversary of the Peanuts TV special, which first aired in November 1973. The restored, remixed, remastered album by the late jazz composer and keyboardist Vince Guaraldi features 21 tracks, nearly half of which have not been previously released.As many “ Peanuts” fans know, Guaraldi’s tunes emit the warm glow of a fireplace at holiday time, which makes them ideal background music. Or turn up the volume to appreciate the evolution of these compositions, most of which are presented in multiple takes.Guaraldi is accompanied by Seward McCain on electric bass, Mike Clark on drums, Tom Harrell on trumpet and Chuck Bennett on trombone, and the tunes are explored by the ensemble in various configurations, including overdubs.Six cuts last a half-minute or less, which makes the album a bit choppy, but it...

China sends an envoy to the Middle East in a sign of its ambition to play a larger role

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:01 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China has sent an envoy to the Middle East to push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in the latest sign of its ambition to play a larger role in the region.Envoy Zhai Jun’s first meetings included one in Qatar with a Russian counterpart on Thursday as the two countries stake out a position at odds with the American approach.The two sides confirmed their “unwavering focus on closely coordinating efforts for the political settlement of this and other crises in the Middle East and North Africa region,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said, according to the country’s Tass state news agency.China, which sees the U.S. as too pro-Israel, has said it opposes attacks on civilians but has not condemned the initial Hamas attack that started the latest war. Instead, it has called for an immediate cease-fire to protect civilians as Israel bombards Gaza before a possible ground invasion.“We believe that when dealing with hot-spot issues in the international community, major power...

Transat AT CFO Patrick Bui moving to take job at retailer Dollarama

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:01 GMT

MONTREAL — The chief financial officer of Transat AT Inc. is leaving the company to become chief financial officer at Dollarama Inc.Transat says Patrick Bui will step down from his position at the travel company on Dec. 15.He is expected to remain in his role through the announcement of Transat’s results for its financial year ending Oct. 31 to help ensure a smooth transition.He is set to join Dollarama on Dec. 18.He fills a job left vacant by the departure of J.P. Towner who moved from the discount retailer to become chief financial officer at Rona Inc.Transat, which operates as an airline under the Air Transat banner, says it has started a formal search for a new chief financial officer.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:DOL, TSX:TRZ)The Canadian Press

A stampede in Kenya leaves 4 dead and about 100 injured during an event marking an annual holiday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:01 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A stampede in Kenya during celebrations to mark an annual public holiday killed at least four people on Friday and injured 100 others, authorities said.The stampede happened when thousands of people struggled to get inside Kericho stadium in western Kenya at dawn, police said. The stadium was the venue for this year’s Mashujaa Day, which means Heroes’ Day in swahili.President William Ruto, who addressed thousands of people at the stadium about four hours later, didn’t mention the stampede. He instead dedicated his speech to his plans on a universal health care plan.It wasn’t clear if Ruto was aware of the stampede when he delivered his remarks.The Associated Press